The field of the invention is apparatus and methods for manufacturing corn tortillas.
Traditionally, tortillas have been made by hand. For commercial scale production of tortillas necessary to meet the consumer demand for tortillas, both in stores and restaurants, making tortillas by hand is not practical, and automated production techniques are necessary.
In the past, corn tortillas have been die cut from a rolled sheet of corn or maize. The die cut tortilla is typically heated first on the bottom, with the top surface exposed to hot air or radiant heat, in an oven. Generally, the oven conveyor belts used to move tortillas through the oven are made of parallel slats pivotably attached to each other, with a small clearance gap between the slats.
While these techniques have met with varying degrees of success in the past, certain disadvantages remain. Because of the way the tortillas are heated, the final product has a less than optimal moisture content and texture. Close inspection of the tortilla's surface reveals a porous texture that dries and cracks if left exposed to the air and becomes saturated and leaks if rolled with liquid fillings. In addition, the gaps in the conveyor belts leave lines on the tortillas, creating a less than desirable appearance, at least to some consumers. Accordingly, there remains a need for improved methods and apparatus for making corn tortillas.